top water baits and sunlight

[gajpb]

The dam on my lake has tremendous riprap, at least a quarter mile of the stuff. I'm planning on hitting it early. Because the dam is located in the southeast part of the lake, the water right in front of the riprap stays in shade a little longer than the main lake. Does the shade keep the potential for some good topwater action the same as if the sun hasn't quite come up yet? And if not, what's good to fish along the riprap if the topwater ain't working. I know the fish are there, I've had luck there in mid afternoon a lot lately.

[Rattlinrogue]

Yes it does.I like to fish topwaters also.I fish them fromdawn to sunup.When the sun does come up,I go to the east side of the lake which stays shady for about another hour or so.The sun is blocked by a tall,thick stand of pine trees.Many times ,I've added several more topwater bass by seeking the shade on the east side of the lake after the sun gets up.

[Will]

You can actually fish topwater all day long, even in bright conditions you just need to find out what the fish want. Good baits for fishing rip rap are senkos and jigs.

[cfruel]

I have caught fish on top water all day in the past, especially in off color water but the morning/evening and the shade is normally the best.  I agree with Senkos and jigs but I also like crank baits off the rocks.  Bang that crank bait into the rocks and pause it for a sec and then snap it a little.

Cy

[Guest avid]

I think allot of this stuff about overcast conditions for topwaters is allot of hooey.   Topwaters are like any other bait.  they work great all day except when they don't.

[Grubber]

I dont fish topwater to often

[Nick]

If your lake has fairly clear water, the low light conditions favor a topwater approach. If the lake has two feet or less vis. I wouldn't rule out topwaters later in the day.

Now for jigs.  Unless you are swimming them, be prepared to make lots of donations to the rocks. I favor a very light worm weight Texas rigged. or a sinking worm without a weight.  If you have some wind blowing in, or parallel with the rip rap, try both a crankbait and a spinnerbait.  Don't try to hit bottom much with either bait unless yo have developed a great touch to know how much rock you can hit and still get the bait back.

I really love rip rap, especially in the early spring and late fall when those rocks help warm the water.  If your rocks get a good covering of algae, they become magnets for baitfish. Yours is not quite facing the right way, but certainly do keep in mind fishing yours in early spring with a slow moving crank or a suspending bait.

I have also found on a couple of lakes that the fish do have sweetspots on rap, like a place where the rocks might be placed over an old channel, a bend in the rocks, or a deeper area of rocks.  Search for these sweet spots and let us know how you do.

[Rattlinrogue]

My lake has very clear water.Topwaters in the middle of the day would be a very frustrating day for you.Early and late or overcast conditions are the best for topwaters.I know this from 30 years of experience fishing my favorite bait.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I'm with both rattlinrogue and Nick. I also fish gin clear water and once the sun is up, the topwater bite gets pretty tough. Granted, sometimes, whether it's a moon phase or a frontal condition, they will take a topwater in the sun but not as often or as whole-heartedly as during the conditions r-rogue explained.

I also found , like r-rogue, that if the topwater bite is very good during the sunrise hours, I will shift to the shaded side of the lake after it's up and be able to (usually, I mean, this IS fishing,lol) be able to keep that bite going.

[gajpb]

Just got back (had to get in to work!) after fishing the rip rap. Had no luck with topwater, but who'd a thunk that a plastic frog and lizards would be the lures of choice for the bass. The water is very clear in that part of the lake and they seemed to liked= the slow-fished, texas rigged lizard. Thanks for all the help. Putting it in the journal.

[roadwarrior]

Bass often suspend several feet out from the riprap in and near the deeper water. A Lucky Craft LV-500 or other lipless crankbaits can be very effective throughout the day. I like to burn the retrieve seaching for a reaction bite. It's never subtle!